


The Lovebug Incident

by thewriter



Category: Jonas Brothers
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-11
Updated: 2020-01-16
Packaged: 2020-06-26 11:39:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 8,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19767433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thewriter/pseuds/thewriter
Summary: During an interview following their surprise reunion in 2019. Joe reveals a surprising story involving a would be fan and rising YouTube star, copyright infringement involving one of their biggest hits and Justin Bieber (because he got dragged into it too)"It was nasty." Nick recalls.Of course lawyers were involved, as Disney tries to keep everything quiet because that's what Disney does best-damage control, if only to keep their image.





	1. Prologue

March 2019

"So what's the craziest thing a fan has done?" The DJ asked, in regards to musicians this was always a good question.

The celebrities being interviewed, the Jonas Brothers, Joe, Nick, and Kevin looked at each other. They were rebooting their career after six years apart with a new single that was already hitting the charts hard.

"Most of the good ones happened about 10 years ago." Nick replied.

"Yeah," Kevin interjected, "we think our fans have kind of grown out of that. I mean, they are married with families now a lot of them."

Joe smirked.

"Well, there was that one time… But you don't want to hear about that, it was a long time ago."

"Is this a story we've heard before?" The DJ asked, intrigued.

"Probably not." Joe admitted. "Our label at the time kept it pretty quiet, or as quiet as they could."

"You said this involved a fan."

"Yeah," The brothers exchanged a look and Joe made a face, "but I wouldn't really have called her a fan she was kind of an anti-fan… In a way."

"A video girl." Nick supplied.

"The kicker?" Joe continued, "She was in the business, an up-and-coming artist on another label."

"Would we have heard of her?" The DJ asked.

"Maybe then," Joe conceded, "definitely not now."

"So what happened?" The DJ pressed.

"Long story short, things got messy."

"Nasty." Nick interjected.

"Lots of lawyers were involved." Kevin finished seriously, "Our labels were at each other's throats for months!"

Finally, Joe gestured to the microphones.

"Maybe this isn't the best thing to "air" on air." He chuckled. "We'll give it to you-er-off the record."

The DJ hit a switch on his soundboard.

"Fair enough."

"So what happened with this other artist?"

"It happened just before we left Disney almost 6 or seven years ago by now," Joe began, warming to his subject, "and it started with a video that blew up on YouTube-what doesn't?"


	2. The Youtube Star

April 2012

"That's a wrap!" The director yelled, "Nice job Brittany."

Brittany Carter waltzed off the set of her debut music video. Today she was in a particularly good mood who wouldn't be after scoring a record deal and finally shooting her first music video. Picking up her phone, she logged onto her Instagram and posted a video.

"Hey Brit Twits," she said in a singsong voice, "just finished shooting my first music video can't wait for you guys to see it. It's going to be awe-some!" She stretched out the word dramatically. "I'll talk to you guys on my next upload, probably on Saturday. Love ya!" She made a kissy face to the camera.

To the casual observer, Brittany was your average teenager, she had an elegant figure for someone only 14, wispy shoulderlength blonde hair and large blue eyes, which gave her dollish appearance.

"Hey Brittany," said her director as he motioned to her manager and her mother, "a few words before we wrap up."

Brittany nodded and finally put down her phone.

"Right. Be right there."

"Brittany, should you really have your phone on set, you are doing a job dear." Her mother admonished her.

The director gave her mother a thin smile.

"It's alright," the casually dressed director in his mid-40s said. "We are all done, I don't think we need to do any re-shoots."

Elaine Carter was an older version of her daughter she had the same thin frame and was tall and elegant though her blonde hair was cut in a smart short style. She had an anxious look about her like a small animal awaiting a predator, and like her daughter, she had the same large blue eyes though they held none of her daughter's exuberance.

"I'm happy with what I saw today." The director began as Brittany, her mother, and manager stood in a small circle. "She's a natural, I can't really add much to that." He smiled at Brittany. "Now all that's left is to put together the edit, hopefully you'll have teasers out in the next few weeks."

"The label wants music video out with the single which is supposed to be out next month." The manager said in a businesslike tone. "That's what we're looking at anyway."

"Of course." The director replied, "This isn't my first rodeo."

The men stared at each other evenly, but nothing else was said.

"Are we finished here?" Elaine Carter asked. She had a thin voice, but was firm nonetheless.

"Yes." The director replied. "Thank you." He shook Elaine and Britney's hands smiling.

"Ready to go Brit?" Her mother asked.

"No mom, I have to change, I look ridiculous, and redo my makeup, I feel gross." Then she waltzed off set and headed for her dressing room where a wardrobe assistant and makeup artist were waiting to help her.

Once in her dressing room, Brittany changed out of her clothes from the music video, a bedazzled jumpsuit in bright colors. It wasn't her favorite thing but it worked for the video. Once back in her street clothes, jeans and a T-shirt she tied back her hair and spent the next five to ten minutes reapplying considerably less makeup with the help of the makeup artist. Once again she looked like a normal teenager and looked much smaller without the crazy platform heels she had been wearing, that morning she could barely walk in them.

"That should do it." The makeup artist said brightly. "It was a pleasure working with you."

"Yeah," Brittany agreed, "you've been awesome, thanks."

The makeup artist, a serious looking woman in her mid-30s smiled at the teenager in the mirror, the gesture relaxing her solemn face.

"Anytime."

A short time later, Brittany was sitting in the passenger seat of her mom's car. She could hardly believe she had just shot her first music video and that her first single, "Baby Be My Love Bug" came out in a few weeks. She couldn't wait to start sharing the new content with her followers. For Brittany everything that had happened to her in the past few years seems like a whirlwind. She had been shooting YouTube videos since she was 12 and after she had started taking voice lessons her singing had gotten better and she started taking things much more seriously. At first she just covered a lot of her favorite songs, she had even figured out how to do covers without getting copyright strikes on YouTube. She suppose that's why she started playing piano and guitar so she could accompany herself and didn't have to rely on patched up karaoke tracks. Besides, what she was doing sounded better, she knew it.

Her cover of Justin Bieber's "Baby" had gone viral and it seemed like only yesterday she remembered the email she had gotten. (Her mother had insisted all of her "business" go to her and her dad first). Her parents had almost falling over when they realize the email was from a record label asking to see more and in a matter of weeks they were flying from Florida to LA to meet with the executives of BRM Records, she had been signed shortly thereafter and a few weeks later she was in the studio recording her first single.

She stared at her mother's profile as her mother negotiated the LA traffic it could take several hours to get from one end of the city to the other.  
It was going to be a long drive back to the hotel. She hoped her parents would agree to move out here it would be easier if she was going to have commitments and she could find someone to help her manage her YouTube channel as well, though she still wanted to keep the personal connection with her fans.

Thoughts flew around Britney's mind like so many birds. It would've been so much easier if her dad was out here, her dad got her unlike her mother who seemed terrified of the world her daughter had been swept into though she didn't say so.

How did they ever end up getting married? Brittany wondered, her parents were complete opposites.

This among other things floated through her mind as her mother continued to inch her way across town, she watched the traffic go by wondering what the next day would bring. Her only hope was that she got to talk to her dad tonight she had so much to tell him.


	3. The Executives' Debrief

"What's this all about?" Joe Jonas muttered to his older brother under his breath as they were ushered into the executives' office at the record label.

Kevin Jonas shrugged.

"No idea." He muttered back."They only call us in here if something is wrong." Kevin made a face as if several past offenses were presenting themselves in his mind.

"It's not like we've put out anything suggestive," Joe mumbled, still talking in an undertone, "we haven't put out music as a group in three years."

"This can't be about your solo album Joe." Nick murmured quietly, "That was over a year ago."

Joe set his jaw.

"Yeah, they've said their bit about that alright."

The office was what the brothers had grown to expect, the mile-long conference table with the executives sitting at the opposite end. Briefly glancing at their manager, they made their way down to the three chairs at the other end of the table; there was an odd air like they were walking down death row. Nick, for his part, was the most readable three of them, he wasn't speaking or making eye contact, which meant he was nervous. If there was one thing they had learned since moving to Hollywood it was to keep your mouth shut.

"Phil, boys, please sit down." The chairs on the other side the table were gestured to and the brothers and their manager sat down, still none of them spoke.

Finally, after a long pause. Kevin was the first to speak.

"What's this all about?"

The executives who had spoken, a serious looking man in a pressed suit with graying hair (most of the executives fell into this category to varying degrees) steepled his fingers before speaking again.

"We seem to have run into a sticky situation regarding the copyright of one of your songs."

The brothers looked at each other, surprised, but none of them spoke.

"Surely you don't think--" their manager went to bat for them.

"No, that's not what I'm saying, the infringement came from another artist, from another label, we're still trying to figure out what happened and what our legal options are."

"So what exactly did they copy?" Joe asked.

"See for yourself." A female executive who had spoken and had remained quiet throughout the exchange lifted a remote and lowered a video screen pulling up what appeared to be a YouTube video.

"A new artist by the name of Brittany Carter has a song called "Baby Be My Love Bug", well, I'll show you the parts were concerned about."

A splash of color invaded their vision on the large screen. The artist appeared to be in her teens with blond hair and large blue eyes. She was the type of artist that Disney championed and where the brothers had been three years ago. The song was bubbly and obnoxious but it was the type of stuff tweens and teens of a certain demographic loved. When the video was finished the screen went dark again.

"We are mostly concerned about several ideas she copied from your "Lovebug" video right up to the styling of the band in the one shot, music break and loops on the chorus; the exact same way. Those aren't the only things, but it's what we can do something about. Anything else that was infringed upon is up to the other artists involved, but they can sort that out." The executive who was doing most of the talking cleared his throat. "Just so you are aware. We will be taking legal action of course if only to protect the copyright, while you are not directly involved your presence is requested at a few hearings."

Then they were dismissed unceremoniously to return to their next activity or meeting.

"Wow." Joe finally said when they were out of earshot, "That's something."

"They just want to make sure they don't lose any money on our stuff." Kevin sighed. "Lovebug is one of our biggest hits."

The brothers fell into silence again. Nick was still taking everything in, though he would have much to say later. In that moment they wished their dad was there if only to give advice not just as a businessman but as their dad. There was only so much their manager and the label could fix.


	4. The Bad Side of the Business

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I started writing this chapter before I realized I need to do some research on the legalities of copyright suits, which is why the second half of this chapter changed a bit from what I had originally planned and will continue to change slightly going forward. If there are any other inconsistencies I will edit them as they come up.
> 
> I also wanted to add Brittany's dad in here as he is important to her character's story.

Brittany lay on her bed, updating her YouTube channel, in the LA apartment she and her mother were renting for the time being. She was glad her dad would be coming to LA soon, she missed him.

Suddenly there was a slam of a door from down the hall.

"Brittany, come here please, we have a visitor."

Brittany sighed. It was probably another "legal person" or her manager; someone she didn't want to talk to. Resolutely, she headed for the small kitchenette on the other side of the apartment.

However, she stopped in the doorway when she saw who had come in.

"Dad!" She exclaimed as she leapt into his arms. He chuckled and hugged her tight.

"Mom didn't mention you were coming in, for sure."

"We wanted to be a surprise." Her mother said with a small smile from where she stood in the kitchen her phone in one hand and a kitchen towel and the other.

David Carter was an average looking man, he had an optimistic yet realistic outlook on life and no one would have guessed he was married to someone like Elaine. To the casual observer he was just an insurance agent with a normal 9-to-5 job, working to support his family.

The joyous reunion was interrupted by the chiming of Elaine's phone. Glancing at the notification, she frowned, opened the email, read it, then turned to her husband.

"David, read this."

Elaine handed her phone to her husband who read the email his face immediately becoming tight and drawn.

Britney looked from one parent to the other.

"Mom, dad, what is it?"

Her mother looked uncharacteristically serious.

"Brittany, sit down."

Worried, and unsure what to say or do Brittany did as she was told and sat down at the kitchen table.

"That email was from Scott. Apparently a legal suit has been filed against your song or copying ideas from the Jonas Brothers and Justin Bieber." Elaine Carter continued to scroll through the email. "Looks like they're going after the video too."

"I didn't write that song." Brittany said in a small voice, "most of the lyrics, music and ideas weren't mine."

David Carter sat down at the table next to his daughter.

"That doesn't matter, honey," he said gently, " your name is on it. That's all the other labels are going to see."

Elaine Carter continued reading the email report is regaining its businesslike efficiency.

"Thank God! It looks like he recommends a good copyright lawyer, and not just that entertainment lawyer we met with briefly before Brittany got signed."

David Carter glanced at his watch.

"I can come tomorrow, I don't start my new job till Monday."

"Don't worry about this dear, I can take her."

Brittany heard her father sigh.

"I'll see what my schedule looks like I'll try to make it to the hearings as much as possible."

Brittany noticed how tired her mother looked.

"After this I have no idea what I'm doing for dinner!" Her mother sighed.

"Don't worry, love I'll take care of it." He turned to Brittany.

"How does lasagna and meatballs sound? I picked up a few things before I came over."

Brittany stood up and grinned thankful the mood in the room had lightened.

"Awesome!" She hurried off to help her father and smiling she took the dishtowel out of her mother's limp hand. It was good to know despite the drama (and she noticed there was a lot of it in LA) some things never changed like her dad's ability to make a good dinner.

Before Elaine Carter could drag her starlit daughter off to the nearest copyright lawyer they got a call they changed their plans.

The following day after the email they got a call from Britney's manager, Scott Cohen, the slender, wheedling man with a no nonsense voice.

"Change of plans, Elaine, the executives wants to meet with us, Brittany too, anything going for has to come from them. Don't try to handle this on your own."

Elaine Carter made a noncommittal noise and hung up the phone then she called for Brittany and braced herself for another harrowing drive through LA traffic.

Brittany hated the sterileness of the record label's executive office. That part wasn't "fun".

"Don't fidget!" Her mother said sharply. "Answer their questions and listen carefully."

Brittany sighed.

"Yes mom." Without another word she followed her mother who was following the secretary into the executive's office.

The head executive greeted them with a thin smile.

"Good morning folks, I wish we were meeting under better circumstances."

From his inner suit pocket the executive pulled an envelope, which had previously been opened.

"We received a cease and desist letter from Disney this morning." He handed the letter to the adults in turn.

"Can we fight this?" Scott Cohen asked abruptly. "Disney is the big fish here."

"We can try, but it's unlikely we will win on our own arguments." The executive said in an even voice.

"What exactly is our argument." Elaine Carter asked raising her well manicured eyebrows. From all appearances she look like she had together, but glancing at her mother Brittany knew better.

"They can't contest everything, maybe the music video, but the song itself… They can't go after us for using the same words."

"What about Bieber's label?" Scott asked.

The executive sighed.

"I received a cease and desist from them as well, strictly on the argument of the song and the bridge, they say parts of it are too close to "Baby"."

Scott Cohen nodded.

"They're going to demand we take down Brittany's music video and all of her audio files."

Suddenly Brittany sat up she realized something. She didn't mean to speak, speaking to these adults seemed intimidating, but other than her budding career she brought up the one thing that mattered to her.

"What about my YouTube channel? She asked, "Does that mean I have to take down all my videos too?"

"No, not your entire channel just the music video," the executive explained, " and their asking us to purge your song from every site on the Internet, which is impossible… And if you are fans have duplicated anything… well…" He trailed off, seemingly ignoring Brittany's continued anxious expression. "It's going to be an uphill battle folks, but I think we'll do okay, I got our best attorneys on standby."

Elaine, Scott, and Britney exchanged worried looks. Somehow the executives speech did little to bolster their confidence.

"He acts like he has more bravado than he does." Brittany heard her mother muttered to Scott as they walked out of the building.

"I think we're fighting a losing battle." Mark sighed, "No offense. Disney's got the muscle and Bieber's label is going to throw everything they have at us. I hate to bring the songwriter into this; they're going to rake them across the coals."

The somberness had returned to the apartment when Brittany and her mother returned home. It seemed her journey to stardom was going nowhere and had stalled. They wouldn't even let her back into the studio until the stuff with "Baby Be My Love Bug" was resolved. Sighing, she locked herself in her room and set up her camera for her latest YouTube video; time to update her fans on what was going on, at least the part she could talk about and understand.


	5. The Hashtag War

That morning when Joe opened Twitter he wished he hadn't. By then, the news of the copyright suit and hit the media and he and his brothers were in the middle of it, which was the last place they wanted to be.

Along with "Disney Sues for Copyright Infringement on Jonas Hit" and "The Love Bug Bites Back" the fans had drawn lines and hashtags were already trending most notably #JusticeforBrittany, #JonasBrothers and #Lovebug.

Joe winced when he saw the hashtag #Wearethereallovebugs. Ouch!

There was an advantage to living with your brother, there was also an advantage to having a big house in separate rooms, though Joe still managed to push Nick's buttons as siblings do.

He poked his head into Nick's room where his brother was still getting dressed a shirt half buttoned and still dressed in his boxers and clean socks.

"Did you see Twitter?" Joe asked.

"No, why?" Nick asked as he wrestled with his collar and started putting on his pants.

"It's getting nasty." Joe replied in a monotone. "You should see the hashtags." He showed his brother his phone. "It's like her fans are taking turns bashing us and trying to discredit our work."

"You know how that stuff is," Nick said with a huff, "it'll blow over as soon as the next big thing comes along."

Joe smirked.

"Wanna bet? It's like war out there! Her fans even have a #justiceforbrittany hashtag going!"

Nick sighed.

"I only hope she's handling this well and she has a good support system. Remember how hard the business was when we were teenagers, Joe?"

Joe nodded grimly and pocketed his phone.

"I have for feeling this is going to get worse before it gets better. You know how the media is they blow everything up particularly if they can get a good headline and they have two good buzzwords us and Disney."

"Not to mention a big legal fiasco." Nick murmured as he sat on his bed and began tying his shoes. "The best we can do is lay low; at least Kevin can mostly stay out of it."

"Maybe he had the right idea moving back to Jersey." Joe muttered.

"Just keep your head down." Nick advised.

"Now you're starting to sound like Phil." Joe said with a grin, "Or dad."

Nick cracked a grin.

"Hey I learned from the best."

"Or you're just an old guy trapped in a young man's body and we'd never knew." Joe teased.

Nick smirked. At least he had Joe to lighten the mood without getting dragged down by everyone else's drama, it was the one thing on the Internet he tried to avoid.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shorter chapter, the drama from Brittney's POV coming up next.


	6. Bad Day Advice

Brittany had reacted to the news of the copyright suit hitting the Internet the same way Joe Jonas had, though she handled it with less grace and finesse. She had been having a lousy day, her mother was bothering her about getting a tutor to keep up with her studies and now this!

Her friends, the few she had left since moving to LA weren't texting her back either, clearly they had seen the news as well and she was sure they were taking sides.

It's either with the rest of the fans or me, she thought, clearly they had picked their various fandoms.

Brittany was glad when her dad got home before dinner. She could hear her parents talking from down the hall and she was pretty sure they were talking about her. A few minutes later, there was a gentle knock on her door.

"Friend or foe." She mumbled in the direction of the door from where she was still lying on her bed.

"Father and friend, I hope." The door opened slowly revealing her dad.

"Mom tells me you had a rough day." He stated simply sitting down on the bed next to her.

"Yeah, it sucked. Mom wants me to finish school and the Internet hates me."

"Surely not everybody hates you, what about your fans and your friends."

"Oh, my friends that won't text me back, or the ones that have forgotten I existed." Brittany replied bitterly. "I guess there's a few nice things people have said but I guess I didn't have as many fans as I thought."

She looked morose again.

After listening to his daughter David Carter went into "dad mode".

"First, listen to your mother, you need to finish school that's important regardless of how important your career becomes, finish school first. Even the other teen stars finished school if only to get their GED or something like that."

Brittany looked sullen.

"I thought you would say something like that."

David Carter cracked a smile, which brightened his tired face.

"Of course, I'm your dad, it's kind of required."

Brittany giggled.

"Second, opinions on the Internet are a dime a dozen and a lot of them are in poor taste. It doesn't matter who's taking sides with who no one knows your story and that includes Justin Bieber or the Jonas Brothers."

"Well their opinions still suck." Brittany mumbled sourly, "The media hasn't been too nice either."

David Carter sighed.

"I know, your mother showed me some of the headlines, but overall, we have to keep moving forward regardless of what people say."

"So do I still have to go to school?" Brittany asked tentatively.

"Of course." Her father replied, "Don't think I'm going to let you off that easy."

After a momentary silence she was glad when her dad changed the subject.

"I think I know what will cheer you up. I think your favorite ice cream is in the fridge."

"Really! Why didn't mom tell me?" In one fluid motion Brittany was halfway to her bedroom door.

Her father laughed as he rose from her bed.

"You might want to eat the stirfry your mom is making first, no bad day exempts not eating dinner."


	7. Battle Lines

Joe groaned when he saw the text on his phone. He immediately called Nick.

"Hey, man, did you see the text from Phil?"

"Yeah, I got it, meeting tomorrow. Kevin needs time to fly in."

"Dani isn't going to be happy with all this back-and-forth." Joe muttered, " Kev pretty much said she wants to stay in Jersey-permanently."

"Well her family's there," Nick replied, "honestly, I don't blame her."

There was a long pause between the brothers.

"How long can we keep this up Joe, this back-and-forth with trying to keep things together with Kevin? How do we know he's really in it? I mean, we've been spinning our wheels on an album idea for months."

Joe blew out a breath.

"Let this copyright crap blow over and let's get out of Disney then we'll see where it goes."

"Yeah, you're probably right." Nick sighed. "Look, I got to go, I'm couldn't do something with Olivia while she's in town tonight, I'll talk to you tomorrow."

The brothers said a quick goodbye and Joe hung up. At some point things had stopped being fun and the business and legal stuff was making it worse, right now he needed a drink.

Kevin came in the next morning looking stressed and tired and to Joe, the idea of sitting through another meeting, no matter how brief, was the last thing he wanted to do. He'd rather be anywhere then in the executives' stuffy office; in the studio writing and recording, or even better on stage performing music for their millions of fans.

He tapped his fingers on the table singing tunelessly under his breath. Eventually Nick elbowed him and Kevin kicked him under the table. He looked up when the executive cleared his throat.

"Thank you gentlemen for coming in." The executive shuffled the papers on his desk and looked at each of them in turn.

"We have bad news on our end." The executive began, his voice sounded heavy.

Phil McIntyre raised his eyebrows.

"How so?"

"BRM Records has failed to comply completely with our cease-and-desist. They're fighting back, they want to knock down the severity of the infringement."

Nick was incredulous.

"I may not understand all this legal stuff but surely it would be in their best interest to comply."

"Apparently." The executive replied grimly. "They seem to be under the impression they can win the lawsuit, but at this point we will file accordingly and you will be notified of the dates of the hearings… It will be easier if we can all sit down and sort this out."

The executive made it seem simple, though common sense told Joe, his brothers and the rest of their team it would be far from a walk in the park.

"Keep me in the loop." Kevin finally said pulling out his phone. "I need to let my wife know if I'll be out of town again."

"We can do that Kevin," Phil replied, "that shouldn't be a problem."

"So that's all we need to know?" Joe asked, "that their filing?"

"For the time being, yes," the executive replied, even the older man looked tired, the day was barely half over and it was already wearing on him. "I'll be in touch with the date of the first hearing when everyone can get on the same page. We have a lot of moving parts.

Afterwards, the brothers shook hands and everyone went out to lunch, for the time being the lawsuit was the last thing they want to discuss.


	8. Big Fish, Little Fish

For Brittany, the morning of the first hearing began with drama.

She pulled the dress she was going to wear from her closet which was quickly vetoed by her mother.

"Brittany Marie, you are not wearing that dress out in public. For one, it gives the wrong impression."

"But mom," Brittany protested, "this is what everyone--"

"Well not everyone is going to a legal hearing." Her mother replied crisply.

Without saying a word her mother pulled another dress from the closet, the one her grandmother had sent for last Easter.

"Aw, mom, do I have to?" Brittany whined, giving her mother a petulant glare.

"Yes." Elaine Carter replied flatly. "Now get dressed and where your nice shoes we have to be at the lawyer's office by 10."

A very tense hour later, Brittany and her parents arrived at the lawyer's office. Shortly thereafter, the other parties began to arrive. First came the Joe, Nick, and Kevin, their lawyers and manager. Next, and looking about as bored as Brittany, came Justin Bieber, a lawyer and his manager. Justin was a little older than Brittany and was dressed in black slacks and a slightly rumpled dress shirt as if, like Brittany, he had been told what to do that morning.

Once the introductions had been made. The lawyers began talking discussing the case and how it could be resolved. First, they discuss the facts as they stood and asked questions to that effect.

"What is being contested?" The lawyer from BRM Records asked.

"You read the cease-and-desist," Another lawyer from Hollywood Records replied, "ideas, lyrics and music from the song "Lovebug" original words and music by my clients." He gestured briefly to the brothers who had yet to speak.

"Not to mention the entire chord progression and melody of the chorus is a direct ripoff for better words of the hit by my client." Justin Bieber's lawyer cut in.

For several minutes there was much shuffling as the evidence of the videos was reviewed on tablets.

After this had been reviewed. Britney's lawyer spoke again.

"Surely not all of this can be contested suits strictly on music and lyrics are hard to prove." He sounded confident.

"But it's right there!" The lawyer from Hollywood Records practically screamed, "Chord progression and usage of the setup at the end of Miss Carter's video. I'm not going to speak for the others here in regard to Mr. Bieber."

"Let a judge sort it out," Bieber's lawyer now sounded bored. "There's nothing else to discuss here."

"Have we at least agreed to terms of the infringement?" The lawyers from Hollywood Records asked.

Around the table there was a general murmur agreement from all parties.

"Our biggest complaint as of right now is BRM Records did not fully comply with the cease-and-desist."

"They said they did the best they could we can't account for the numerous copies online reposted by fans."

"Well that isn't quite good enough." The other lawyer or who was doing little talking huffed. "That, is why we are here."

For the first time someone other than the lawyers spoke.

"Surely there is something Britney's label can do in the meantime until we can reach some sort of settlement."

At a breach in the conversation Kevin Jonas spoke up firmly and calmly.

"I'm afraid there isn't." Justin Bieber's lawyer said firmly as he shuffled his papers in a no nonsense way. "Everyone here has stated their terms."

"I agree with Mr. Jonas," David Carter replied from the other side the table, "is there some sort of temporary compromise we can agree on until a settlement can be reached?"

"The settlement is the compromise, Mr. Carter." The lawyer from Hollywood Records who had been doing most of the talking replied.

"Anything else is left to the discretion of the individual labels. In the case of Miss Carter she is allowed to keep up all of her creative outlets but is advised against putting out any more music until such a time this is resolved." For the first time in the hearing the BRM lawyer actually sounded like he knew what he was talking about.

"If all are in agreement, and clear on the terms that brought us here we can proceed with the next hearing in a few weeks and start discussing a settlement."

Again, there was a general murmur of agreement from the people present.

There was more murmuring as many adults pulled out their phones, Brittany noticed even Justin Bieber had his out and was conferring with his manager. After much discussion and punching at smart phones the meeting at the long table adjourned, for which Brittany was grateful.

"At least that's over." She muttered loud enough for her mother to hear.

"Not so fast young lady, you still have your tutor coming after lunch."

Brittany groaned, she didn't think her day get any worse.

As they left the room she caught Nick Jonas' eye and he gave her an encouraging smile, Brittany had a strange urge to stick her tongue out at him, if it wasn't for their stupid song she wouldn't be in this mess.

Screw the Jonas brothers. She thought. More importantly screw the stupid songwriter who had written her stupid song.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter begins the decline of Brittany's attitude and how she ends up where she does by the end of story.


	9. The Judge's Assesment

The scene outside the courthouse was about what Joe had expected. While not as much of a circus and some of the celebrity criminal trials he had seen on TV over the years there were still hundreds of people the fans huddled in knots behind the barricades the police had set up. The fans definitely had their alliances, each fandom sticking together, but theirs was by far the loudest, there were colorful signs everywhere though Joe's saw signs with the #JusticeforBrittany hashtag all over.

"You ready for this?" He muttered to Kevin who was standing quietly behind their manager and security without speaking, at the moment he was the typical older brother.

Kevin grunted then sighed, he still looked tense and tired.

Nick was on his other side looking at the crowd warily waiting for security's next instruction, there wasn't much they could do at the moment it was too loud to say anything.

Getting inside the courthouse was a relief with the closing of the large heavy doors deadened the noise of the crowd outside.

The brothers took their places behind the table in the front of the courtroom.

"Let's keep the shenanigans down to a minimum." Phil mumbled as he straightened his jacket.

Nick let out a wry chuckle.

"I think that ship has sailed man."

There manager managed a smile.

"Maybe you're right."

Several minutes later, looking just as tired and worn Justin Bieber and his team arrived. They sat down at another empty table while lawyers took out briefcases and looked over papers. The room was quiet except for the rustling of papers and shuffling of feet. The atmosphere made everyone edgy, or at least that's what it seemed to Joe. Beside him Nick was tense anxiously twisting his curls in his fingers, a nervous habit he had developed over the years.

Not cool. He thought.

Last to arrive was Brittany, her parents, her manager and lawyer. They took the last seat Brittany still looking bored and out of sorts. The only look she cast in the brothers direction was a glare which was transferred over to Justin Bieber briefly before returning to the brothers.

"Well someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed." Joe muttered Nick and had Nick thought a comment appropriate he would have cracked a smile. The tenseness was only broken when the judge entered the room… Then the proceedings began.

"All rise." The judge intoned in a no nonsense voice.

There was a brief scraping of chairs as the people in the room rose to their feet.

"Inquiry of copyright infringement Hollywood Records and Def Jam Records versus BRM Records. You may be seated."

The judge continued reading from the papers in front of him.

"This case concerns infringement made by Ms. Brittany Carter care of BRM Records as an infringement on the songs "Lovebug" by Jonas Brothers and "Baby" by Justin Bieber care of Hollywood Records and Def Jam Records respectively." Pausing briefly, the judge continued: "At this point in time a cease-and-desist has been issued which according to the opposing parties has only been complied with partially, and the opposing parties also ask for compensation. At this time I will now here terms from those present."

The judge nodded to the table at which Joe, Nick, and Kevin stood. Their lawyer rose, and straightened a crease in his lapel before reading off a paper in front of him."

"We ask for a public apology from Miss Carter and her team we also ask for any monetary gain since the release of her track and any income that may have been lost to my clients."

In turn the judge nodded to Justin Bieber's team and the lawyer rose in turn.

"We ask for monetary compensation for the past few months and that any relation to the song "Baby Be My Love Bug" be pulled from any form of media this includes streaming services."

Finally the judge turned to Brittany, her team and her family.

"Dad," Brittany whispered, "do I have to say something?"

"Let the lawyer and Mr. Cohen do the talking." Her father whispered back.

"Your Honor," Brittany's lawyer began calmly but firmly, "I ask you not be too hard on my client she and her family are new to the business and did their best to comply with the cease-and-desist."

"Clearly that wasn't good enough for the other parties here." The judge replied shortly. "On behalf of the label what do you say?"

"We did nothing wrong," the lawyer representing BRM Records replied, "any coincidence with the music and lyrics are merely that-a coincidence."

"Is that when you call it!" The lawyer from Hollywood Records responded hotly.

"Order!" The judge cut in.

The outspoken lawyer representing Disney's label immediately shut his mouth and sat down though he still looked perturbed.

"Very well, I have heard each parties case. Tomorrow I will review submitted evidence by each. From there I hope we can reach an agreement and conclusion. For today, this court is adjourned."

There seem to be an audible sigh from each person in the room and they filed out in silence.

"A few more days on this rodeo." Joe muttered once they were out of earshot of anyone that mattered.

Kevin grunted.

"I'll have to tell Dani I'll be in LA at least till the end of the week." Kevin sighed. "Hopefully they can wrap this up quickly."

"I don't like the attitude of her label's lawyer," Nick murmured in an undertone, "seems like he's a bit full of himself."

"They're overconfident." Phil McIntyre agreed, "Though I agree Nick, this isn't going to end well, at least not for them. They have a lot to lose."


	10. Opposing Arguments

The next hearing followed a parade of evidence, or at least that was the best way to describe it. It was most of the same evidence Joe, Nick and Kevin had seen from everybody else in the past few weeks along with the same stubborn arguments. Hollywood Records was cut and dry they just wanted the money they were due and that was it, everybody else wanted their piece of the pie and to keep what was theirs.

In this case that was easier said than done.

"There's no way you can prove the material was intentionally copied!" BRM Records lawyer complained. "Music is music, lyrics are lyrics and dance moves are dance moves.

"My clients don't dance in their music videos." One of the lawyers representing the Jonas Brothers said shortly.

From his place at the table Joe stifled a laugh and was only rewarded when Nick kicked him under the table.

"You can't copyright dance moves." The judge said mildly sounding tired, apparently the arguments seem to be as ridiculous to him as they did to everyone else in the room. "Can't we get back to the matters at hand ladies and gentlemen."

From their places at the table Brittany yawned and was glared at by her mother, and on her other side Justin Bieber stretched and was elbowed surreptitiously by his manager, who looked as annoyed as Mrs. Carter.

The arguments resumed to the nitty-gritty of a few frames of Brittany's music video.

"That's blatantly copied!" Justin Bieber's lawyer exclaimed. "That much is obvious!"

The judge nodded.

"Fair enough. Your objections?" He turned to the other lawyer representing Hollywood Records.

"The band and dance scene at the end of the video… Nevermind the close-ups." The lawyer responded.

"Fair, but questionable. I'll consider it."

Finally the judge spoke when the lawyers had quieted.

"I'll review the material and call a recess for now and we can discuss compensation shortly. Court is adjourned, thank you for your time."

"Well that was a whole lot of nothing." Kevin murmured as they headed for their Escalade parked at the curb in front of the courthouse.

"Seems like they're beating a dead horse hoping to make a point." Joe murmured.

"They're all sticking to their guns hoping to get what they want." Phil McIntyre replied nodding, "I can't see Disney backing down, in their mind they got too much to lose."

The brothers murmured an agreement, but they could care less about the business side of what Disney wanted; as soon as possible they were able they were going to terminate their recording contract. It was time to move on.

"I better call Dani," Kevin said as soon as they got in the car, "she'll want to know how the morning went." As soon as he sat down he was already pulling out his phone. Joe and Nick watched this in silence, they were used to Kevin touching base with his wife since he was the only one of them is a serious committed relationship.

"Hey Nick, you want to go hiking later?" Joe asked.

Nick glanced at his brother who was one of his best friends and managed a smile.

"Sure, why not? I think we need to blow off some steam anyway. Just let me get some lunch and check my sugar first."

The brothers clasped hands.

"No problem." Joe replied, "See you out there."

"I'd suggest the lawyers follow your example." Kevin replied when he got off the phone, "but they probably end up killing each other and dumping the bodies."

Phil McIntyre gave a short, humorless laugh.

"Yeah, then we'd have a completely different set of problems."


	11. Aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to have the brothers encounter with Brittany as a separate chapter wrapping everything up, but it seemed to fit better here since there was nothing going on with the characters between those two scenes.

The copyright suit was like anything else in the media, reported on and forgotten by the following week. The only thing that kept it alive was the scuttlebutt on Twitter promoted by the fans, who argued over the outcome.

Can't they get an appeal? One of Brittany's fans asked.

Don't think it works that way. A Jonas fan replied in a tweet that was short and to the point.

The brothers for the most part were just glad it was over while Brittany and her family were left picking up the pieces and wondering what to do next.

"What am I going to do?" Brittany whined one evening. "No one's going to watch my channel now!"

"This isn't your fault, honey." David Carter said gently trying to console her. "Sometimes that's just the way life works."

Upon hearing this Brittany only stormed back to her room leaving her parents staring after her. Elaine and David were still trying to figure out where to go in the meantime, would it be better to return to Florida? They would have to talk to Brittany's team and make a decision from there, even the label would have to be involved, whatever decision they made moving forward would affect all of them.

Meanwhile, Joe, Nick, and Kevin moved forward in talks about leaving Disney. It had been on the table for a while considering what they wanted to do didn't really fit Disney's image anymore. At this point as adults and Kevin being married it wasn't the image they wanted and it wasn't them. Like Brittany, they were at loose ends wondering what was next.

August 2019

After a whirlwind press run promoting three successful singles and a successful album. Joe, Nick and Kevin were ready to hit the road for the first time in six years. While they geared up for tour rehearsals, it was time to tie up some loose ends.

"Do you think she'll show?" Nick asked as he glanced at his phone one last time and took another sip of coffee.

"We extended the invitation," Kevin murmured, once again sounding like the older brother he was, "the rest is up to her."

Several moments later a tired looking woman made her way through the coffee shop she was pushing a stroller awkwardly and had a two-year-old with tousled brown hair in tow.

Kevin motioned her to sit down and gave her a nod.

"Sorry I had to bring them," the woman said running a hand through her frizzy blonde hair, "my husband doesn't get off till six tonight."

"Don't worry about it." Kevin assured her, "Been there." He chuckled and gave her another smile.

"Long time no see… Brittany. It's been a long time." Nick murmured.

"Yeah, it has."

"A lots changed." Joe mused and he chuckled and grinned. "We're all married for one thing."

"What do you want for coffee." Kevin asked next.

"Herbal tea." Brittany answered, "I'm still nursing, at least from the next few months." She nodded towards the baby in the stroller which she handed it a pacifier.

"Coming right up!" Joe quipped as he left the table reaching for his wallet.

Brittany seemed about to protest but she looked too tired to do so.

"I can't say we left on the best terms." Nick murmured.

"No." Brittany replied flatly as she handed a cracker to her toddler who chattered happily bouncing up and down in her chair.

"What happened after the settlement?" Kevin asked.

Brittany shrugged.

"We left shortly after, returned to Florida and we stayed in Tampa until I left for college. I moved to Miami after I met and married my husband. That's the short version."

"You ever get back into music?" Nick asked.

Before Brittany could answer Joe returned with the tea which Brittany stirred and steeped for several minutes before she answered.

"I did a little bit in college, but that was about it. I never got into the music school I wanted so it ended up being a minor to a teaching degree. I teach third grade now."

"Hey, I'm sorry the way I treated you guys back then. In hindsight as an adult it was stupid."

"Hey, it's water under the bridge." Nick replied.

"Yeah, way under the bridge," Joe cut in having sat back down next to Nick, "like 10 years under, or something like that."

Brittany laughed softly.

"So you're still the funny one." Brittany said softly.

"So I've been told." Joe quipped.

There was a lull in the conversation as Brittany's toddler began to fuss.

"Cocoa! Cocoa! I want cocoa!" The little girl stated firmly.

"Not before dinner sweetheart. Daddy will be home soon."

The child pouted and sulked in her chair. The baby, which Brittany had been rocking in the stroller with her free hand began to wail.

"I better go…" Brittany said apologetically rising. "Hunter needs to be fed before dinner and, well, dinner isn't going to cook itself."

"Will we see you opening night?" Nick asked hopefully.

"Maybe, if I can get a sitter or talk my husband into it." She chuckled. "I don't even know if I can get a ticket heard they're selling out pretty quick."

"Hit us up on Twitter and will see if we can hook you up." Joe replied.

"I'll think about it." Brittany replied carefully. Then she gathered her things and her children and made her way out of the crowded coffee shop.

"That went well." Nick mused.

"People grow up and things change." Kevin murmured, "We did."

"Yeah, older and wiser." Joe replied stretching in his chair.

"Older, I don't know about the wiser." Nick replied dryly smirking aiming a wadded up napkin at Joe's head which missed as he ducked.

"I have to touch base with Dani on when she and the girls are coming in," Kevin cut in, "it's going to be a busy week."

"I don't know about you guys," Joe cut in pulling out his phone, "but I'm going to crash at the hotel before we start running around again… I'll call the Uber."


End file.
